Self-setting clock.



H. WATSON. SELF SETTING-CLOCK.

APPLIOA'HO! FILED APB. 1'7, 1911.

Patented July 25, 1911.

14 firi yllifaiz, Z lnvento r,

a by

Attorneys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY WATSON, OF BRANDON, MISSISSIPPI.

SELF-SETTING CLOCK.

This invention relates to self-setting clocks.

The object of the invention is to provide novel means whereby thestriking train of a clock movement will be automatically adjusted toproper relation to the time train when for any reason such relation hasbeen disturbed, and to secure this result without requiring any extendedor expensive changes in clock movements already in use.

It frequently happens when a clock has run down, or has stopped from anycause, that in resetting, the relation of the time train to the strikingtrain is disturbed, so that consonance between the two trains istemporarily destroyed, and the number of strokes given on the bell orother alarm will thus not agree to the time indications on the clock.

In the present invention provision is made whereby the two trains willbe brought into proper relation by the progressive movement of the timetrain without any attention oh the part of the person winding or settingthe clock, this result being secured every twelve hours, theself-setting mechanism being otherwise inactive.

Vith the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts i of a self-setting attachment forclocks, as

pawl.

will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and inwhich like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts: Figure1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of a clock movement, showingthe improvements of the present invention applied thereto, a part of theplate or frame of the clock being broken away for clearness ofillustration. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of a pawl that'coactswith the hour wheel, locking wheel, and count wheel to secure the propersetting of the striking train relative to the time train. Fig. 3 1s aview taken from one edge of the Fig. 4 is a similar view taken fromSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 17, 1911.

Patented July 25, 1911.

Serial No. 621,526.

the other edge. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken onthe line 55 Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrow thereon.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates generally the front plate of aclock frame, such as is commonly employed in time and striking trains,especially of the eight-day type, and as the present invention has to doonly with the hour wheel, count wheel, and locking wire, all the otherparts have been omitted.

Of the parts illustrated 2 designates the hand arbor, 3 the hour wheel,4 the count wheel, 5 the count wheel arbor, 6 the locking wire, and 7the arbor of the locking wire. The count wheel 4 is modified only in sofar as being the provision of an outwardly projecting pin 8 for apurpose that will presently appear.

Mounted upon the hour wheel 3 or upon a sleeve surrounding the arbor 2and made fast to the wheel or arbor, is a disk 9 provided at one pointwith a notch 10 leading from the periphery toward the axis of the disk,the notch being of wedge shape, or of any other appropriate form, whichwill answer the function presently to be described.

Pivoted to the frame is a pawl or arm 11 which forms one of theessential features of the present invention, and which is shown indetail in Fig. 2. The pawl at the end remote from its pivot 12 is formedwith a tooth 13 arranged to engage with the notch 10 of the disk 9, andat a point about midway of its length is provided with a cam faceextension 141 that is arranged in the path of movement of the pin 8.

The locking wire 6 is similar to the type ordinarily employed instriking movements except that it is provided with a shoulder or offset15 designed to be engaged by a finger or detent 16 upstanding from thepawl at its pivotal point, the finger being of such length that when thetooth 18 is in the notch 10, the locking wire will be held out ofcontact with the count wheel. The tooth 13 is so related to the notch 10in the disk 9, and the latter so related to the hour wheel 3 that oncein every revolution of the latter, the tooth 18 will drop into the notchif not prevented, and during the remainder of the disk 7 The parts areso related that when the pawl 11 has its tooth lodged w1th1n the notchof the disk, the finger 16 will underride the shoulder or projection 15of the locking wire, and the latter will be maintained in elevatedposition with its end out of engagement with the notches of the countwheel, even though in the ordinary operation of the striking train itwould fall into some of these notches. The result of this is that thecount wheel will continue its rota tion and cause the progressive actionof the striking train so long as the wire 6 is maintained in itselevated position. Ultimately, however, in the rotation of the countwheel, the pin 8 is brought into contact with the cam face extension 14,and the pawl 11 is moved about its pivot until the tooth 13 is liftedfrom the notch 8 when the finger 16, moving in an are about the pivotpoint of the pawl 11, will escape from beneath the shoulder 15 and sorelease the locking wire and permit it to drop into locked engagementwith the count wheel and thereby arrest its further movement. The notch10 is of such size and is so located that it has been moved out of thepath of the tooth 13 by the progressive movement of the time trainbefore the striking train is again released, and consequently the tooth13 will remain on the periphery of the disk 9 so that the finger 16 isheld out of the path of the locking wire.

WVhen the time and striking trains of the clock are in proper relation,the pin 8 will always engage the cam face extension 14 whenever thenotch 10 is coincident with the tooth 13, thus preventing it fromdropping into the notch. The pawl 11 is then inert relative to thelocking wire, so long as the proper relation is maintained between thetwo trains of the clock. Suppose, however, that the cooperative relationof the two trains of a clock should be out of consonance, either byreason of the clock running down and of having been rewound or resetwithout attention to the striking train, or of the clock hands havingbeen moved to such an extent as to cause the two trains of the clock tobe out of harmony, and the striking train no longer agrees with the timetrain. Then when the notch 10 moves into coincidence with the tooth 13,the pin 8 is no longer in such relation to the pawl as to elevate it andtherefore the tooth 13 will drop into the notch .10 just as the lockingwire is being elevated to release the count wheel, the parts being soadjusted as to cause this order of action. Now when the locking wire 10is to move downward to a suflicient extent to cause its free end toenter a notch in the count wheel, it is caught by the finger 16 and isprevented from entering the notch and thus stops the striking train,which then continues until the pin is brought against the cam extension14;, and the pawl is elevated to carry the tooth 13 out of the notch 10and the finger 16 from beneath the shoulder 15, so that the locking wiremay now drop into a count wheel notch, thus arresting the furtheroperation of the striking train. The parts are so proportioned that thestriking train and the time train are now in proper relation, and thisis maintained until again disturbed by some cause other than the normaloperation of the clock movement. l/Vhenever the proper relation of thetime and striking trains is disturbed, it is again automaticallyreestablished within a twelve hour movement of the hour wheel 3 at thelongest, but usually this relation is established in much less time.

It will be understood that the showing of the drawing is more or lessdiagrammatic and is not intended to show any exact relation which willvary with different clock movements.

I claim:

1. In a combined time and striking clock, a count wheel, a locking wire,a detent for the wire, and means controlled by the time train when outof proper relation to the striking train to cause the detent to hold thelocking wire inactive relative to the count wheel until the properrelation of the two trains is established.

2. In a combined time and striking clock, a count wheel, a locking wire,a detent movable into and out of operative relation to the locking wire,and means controlled by the time train and coacting with the detent tomaintain the latter inactive relative to the locking wire except atpredetermined points in the movement of the time train.

3. In a combined time and striking clock, a count wheel, a locking wire,a detent movable into and out of operative relation to the wire, meanscontrolled by the time train to cause the movement of the detent intooperative relation to the locking wire, and means controlled by thestriking train to render the detent inactive at all times while the timeand striking trains are in proper relation.

4. In a combined time and striking clock, a count wheel, a locking wire.a detent movable into and out of operative relation to the locking wire,a pawl carrying a detent movable into and out of operative relation tothe wire and provided with a tooth and with a cam face extension, aprojection on the count wheel arranged to engage the cam extension, anda disk on the hour wheel with its periphery in the path of the tooth andprovided with a notch to receive the same.

5. In a combined time and striking clock, a count wheel, a locking wirehaving a shout der, a pivoted pawl provided with a finger arranged toengage the shoulder, and furnished further with a tooth and with a camas my own, I have hereto aflixed my sigfaced extension a projection onthe count nature in the presence of two witnesses. wheel to engage theextension, and a disk on the hour wheel with its periphery in the HARRYWATSON path of the tooth and having a notch to re- Witnesses:

ceive the same. SIDNEY L. MoLAURIN,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing M. E. WORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G.

